Nelvana and Sony Pictures Animation Sign Global Deal with Disney Channels Worldwide for New Animated Series Hotel Transylvania: The Television Series

TORONTO, June 20, 2016 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment's Nelvana, one of the world's leading international producers and distributors of children's animated content, and Sony Pictures Animation, today announced that they have licensed the global broadcast and on-demand rights for the new animated series, Hotel Transylvania: The Television Seriesto Disney Channels Worldwide. The 26x22-minute series, based on the blockbuster film franchise from Sony Pictures Animation, which has already grossed more than $820M in theaters globally, is slated to air on Disney Channel in the U.S., Europe (excluding Germany), Latin America, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and Asia in 2017. In Canada, the series will roll out across Corus Entertainment's Disney Channel platforms.

Produced at the Nelvana Studio in Toronto, Hotel Transylvania: The Television Series focuses on the teenage years of Dracula's daughter, Mavis, and her three closest friends Hank N Stein, Pedro and Wendy Blob. With Dracula away on "Official Vampire Business," Mavis finally sees her chance to show her father what she can do. With the help of her friends, she decides to put her brilliant ideas of how to run the Hotel into motion, but …enter Aunt Lydia, Dracula's older and much meaner sister. While Mavis and friends are ready to let loose and have fun, Aunt Lydia pushes for even more order and tradition at the Hotel. Sony Pictures Television is the distributor in the U.S., while Nelvana Enterprises is the distributor of the Hotel Transylvania: The Television Series outside of the U.S.

"We are thrilled to be teaming up with Disney to share the visual and epic storytelling of Hotel Transylvania with audiences worldwide," said Scott Dyer, President, Nelvana. "Working with our partners at Sony Pictures Animation, we are excited to build on the incredible global success of the franchise and bring the world of Hotel Transylvania to the small screen and Disney's family-friendly platforms."

Rick Mischel, Executive Producer at Sony Pictures Animation, commented, "We know the Hotel Transylvania TV series will be in great hands with a strong global broadcasting partner like Disney, and look forward to audiences worldwide discovering the hilarious unknown adventures of a younger Mavis and her monster pals in a new adventure as we expand the franchise into television."

The 2013monster comedy hit, Hotel Transylvania, was nominated for a Golden Globe® and scored the best September opening of all time at the U.S. box office, only to have that record broken by its 2015 sequel Hotel Transylvania 2, now available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital HD. Both films were produced by Sony Pictures Animation, and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Hotel Transylvania 3 is slated to premiere in theaters September 2018.

Executive producers on the series are Rick Mischel from Sony Pictures Animation and Scott Dyer, Colin Bohm, and Irene Weibel from Nelvana.

About NelvanaNelvana is a world-leading international producer and distributor of children's animated and live-action content. Nelvana produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands that focus on comedies, preschool and boys action series and ancillary consumer products programs. Nelvana's content airs on Corus Entertainment's kids channels in Canada and in over 160 countries around the world. The Nelvana library has well over 4,000 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys® and Geminis. Visit the Nelvana website at nelvana.com.

About Sony Pictures AnimationSony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated and family entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is following its worldwide comedy hits—the record-breaking monster comedies Hotel Transylvania and Hotel Transylvania 2, the hybrid live action/animated blockbusters The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2, and the mouth-watering Cloudy with a Chance ofMeatballs movies—with the fully animated reboot Smurfs: The Lost Village in April 2017; a surprising and comic take at the secret world inside our phones with EmojiMovie: Express Yourself in August 2017; the inspirational The Star (working title) in December 2017; Hotel Transylvania 3 in September 2018; and an animated Spider-Man feature from the minds of directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord in December 2018. The studio, in conjunction with Aardman Animations, has produced two critically acclaimed feature films: the CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas; and the Academy Award® nominated stop-frame animated high-seas adventure, The Pirates! Band of Misfits. In 2007, Surf's Up also received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. The division, whose first feature film Open Season led to a very successful movie franchise including the brand new Open Season: Scared Silly now available on digital, DVD and Blu-ray, turned 10 in 2012. Sony Pictures Animation is a division of the Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group.